“No, no, you should not drink red wine with the flank steak tartare, it might turn metallic”. The waiter is so determined that you do not dare to order anything other than the suggested Trebbiano Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. And of course it glides very smoothly down with the macadamia nuts and the birch sap emulsion that bottoms the ceramic plate, which in and of itself is rather flavourless. A beautiful light oak paneling embraces Matbaren. The menu is lined with a nice, sprawling selection of dishes. How many should we get? “Get one at a time, there’s no rush, order when you’re hungry. This is endearing. Yes, the style here is relaxed, and it’s nice to be able to choose freely. Leaves, shoots and herbs from Ugglarp, for example. It may look like just a salad, but the diversity of beautiful leaves, mandolin-planed beets, carrots, delicate radish shoots and finely layered daikon is a recipe for happiness in chlorophyll. You dress it yourself; three bottles are placed on the table – olive and rapeseed oil and a chardonnay vinegar. The house-churned butter accompanying the flatbread has a vivifying air of maturity. Together with a fresh, orange, and slightly cloudy apple juice from Naess in Flen, the salad soars. So does the saithe, which is broiled like no saithe from Lofoten ever has been before. It is crispy and crunchy, with a sublime note of lemon, but is unfortunately pulled down by a heap of hazelnuts and broccoli that have slightly burnt notes. Maybe the new restaurant next door has made the kitchen here a little unfocused. The uncooked green dishes are generally best; a salad of red, mild endive comes with tiny orange pieces, crushed walnut and a soft goat's cheese cream. It’s really lovely. Randy Crawford’s Street Life is on the playlist and the clientele is on average about the same age – i.e., born around 1979. Both Stockholmers and travellers who have journeyed here from the countryside and abroad sit at the tastefully put together tables, and at the main bar. It’s quite cosy. Some diners are seated in front of the large windows, with the quay and the castle as a backdrop across the water, while some look into the open kitchen and talk to the staff, and still others have eyes mostly for each other. And they are all attended to by the throng of smiling and rapid waiters and waitresses, not all of who have had time to read up on the menu in the way we are used to here. No matter. That Matbaren endures makes us very happy...

Facebook

Top 30 Nordic List

With over 100 Masters Level restaurants, the Nordic countries offer a wide variety of excellent culinary experiences. The Top 30 are all at the Global Masters level and they include some of the best restaurants in the world.